A Brooklyn firefighter will not survive the injuries he sustained during a fall earlier this week, and his organs will be donated to save even more lives, Mayor Eric Adams and Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh announced Friday.
Firefighter William P. Moon II, a 21-year FDNY veteran, was preparing for a drill inside of his Brownsville firehouse on Monday when he fell approximately 20 feet and suffered a serious head injury, according to officials. He was immediately treated for his injuries by colleagues before being rushed by FDNY EMS to Kings County Hospital in critical condition.
“This is a heartbreaking loss for New York’s Bravest, and for our entire city,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. “Firefighter Moon was a dedicated public servant, who spent more than two decades saving the lives of New Yorkers and will continue to do so in his passing. We join the entire Fire Department and every New Yorker in mourning his loss, and pray for Firefighter Moon, his family, and his friends.”
Commissioner Kavanagh said Moon “embodied the spirit and passion” of the FDNY.
“Our hearts are broken for Firefighter Moon’s family and friends, and for our entire Department,” she said. “He spent his life helping others, here at the FDNY, and on Long Island, as a volunteer Fire Chief. Firefighting was in his bones, and he embodied the spirit and passion of our Department. He was passionate about organ donation, and just as he saved countless lives working out of the firehouse, he will continue to save lives in his passing.”
Moon, a 47-year-old resident of Islip, New York, was stationed to Rescue Company 2 on Sterling Place. He was first appointed to the department on May 5, 2002, when he started his career at Ladder Company 133 in Queens. He worked there for two decades before being detailed to Rescue Company 2 earlier this year.
When he wasn’t making daring rescues and putting out fires for the FDNY, he was doing it for the Islip Volunteer Fire Department on Long Island, for which he also served as Chief of Department in 2017.
Moon is survived by his wife, Kristina, and their two children.
At a media briefing Friday morning, Adams said Moon was a hero “twice-over.”
“He spent 21 years saving the lives of his fellow New Yorkers and he will continue to save lives in his passing,” the mayor said.
“New York City is a family. Not only do we care for each other but, at the forefront of that caring are those who run into danger, those who put their lives on the line to ensure that we can experience the freedom and safety that we have in New York, and Firefighter Moon was very much a part of that family,” Adams went on. “He represented the devotion and bravery that makes up the fabric of the FDNY and of our first responders. We are extremely grateful for his service and sacrifice to our great city.”
FDNY Chief of Department Jack Hodgens referred to Rescue Company 2 as an “elite unit” that responds to “any type of emergency,” from window washers dangling high above the street to drowning victims and construction workers trapped under rubble. Their drills are notably intensive for that reason, Hodgens said, and Moon was preparing for one of those drills “when this tragic accident occurred.”
“He was a dedicated firefighter who we will always remember as an important part of the mission of the New York City Fire Department,” Hodgens said, adding that he “no doubt contributed to the saving of hundreds of lives throughout his 20 year career.”
“His legacy will live on forever.”
The FDNY is still investigating the incident, Kavanagh said after reading a message from Moon’s wife, Kristina.
“Loving Billy was not only a marriage of families but a marriage to the Fire Department,” she said. “His love and passion to the job extended far from the firehouse walls. He instilled that same passion in our children and always talked about how important it was to help others. We are eternally grateful for the Christmas miracle that Billy will now be able to give others.”
